Overcoming the Darkness
by opusqe
Summary: Penelope is an ordinary college girl living and ordinary college life. She has friends and goes to parties often. But one night she learns there are new worlds and new people being overcome by the darkness.
1. Prologue

_It was late, maybe nine or ten at night. The sky was filled stars, and the moon was hidden behind a large cloud. My bedroom was the only place I wanted to be in, but in the bed itself was out of the question. I sat on the seat by the window, staring out at the night sky. I heard the wailing of police sirens from the city below. _

_The window was open and there was a light breeze. My window was overlooking the city of New York, the place I had almost always called home. I could have never imagined a better place than New York; the only place I longed to live more was Scotland, where my parents had lived before moving to New York._

_There was a knock on the door. "Bed time, darling," my mother said, poking her head into the room. _

"_Mum," I replied, "I'm twenty-one. I think I can go to bed whenever I want to." I realized I had more of a Scottish accent than my mother, and she had lived in Scotland from her birth until six years after my birth._

"_You live under my roof, so you'll obey my rules. Do you understand?"_

_I nodded. "Good night, Mum."As my mother left the room, I closed the window and the blinds. I was ready for sleep anyways, but I decided to just close my eyes and dream a bit. Sleep came quickly. Occasionally I would hear a noise, which I believed was my cat scratching on the door or my parents walking around._

_I fell asleep with the darkness creeping in slowly but inescapably._


	2. Awakening

The sound of crashing waves. The taste of salt. The smell of smoke and whiskey. I had absolutely no idea where I was or where I could be. I didn't want to open my eyes; I was afraid I would wake to find myself tied up in someone else's home or garage or some other place like that.

When I opened my eyes I found myself bound to a ship's mast with a gray cloth over my mouth and several dirty, overweight, disgusting men who were dressed like pirates.

A small, overweight man with a red stocking cap, a bright pink nose and thick, white sideburns appeared from the crowd of men. I raised my eyebrow as he scurried towards me, and I watched him check the ropes to make sure I was secure. His dark eyes glanced from the ropes to my eyes, then he quickly pulled the ropes tight and went towards a door not too far from my place.

He formed his hand into a fist and rapped on the door with his knuckles.

"Cap'n, she's awake," he said in an unusual voice.

I couldn't hear the reply, but I watched as the man vanished into the door. A few moments later he emerged and came up to me.

He untied me from the mast, and then tied my wrists together. "You'll be joining the others in the brig," he said. "I'm Mr. Smee. When the cap'n isn't dealing with you, I will."

He led me down the stairs into the ship's hold.

The door to the brig opened and Smee untied me and took the cloth from my mouth before pushing me in. As he closed and locked the door I tried to pull it back, and, after I failed, I hit my forehead against the door and closed my eyes.

I heard footsteps as clear as day on the other side of the door, and I listened carefully for voices maybe talking about me. I heard yelling that seemed to be getting closer, as it grew louder and louder; I backed away from the door and leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the room.

"I would like to speak with her, Mr. Smee, and nothing more. What harm can she do? She is a mere child, nothing more."

I laughed. _A child? I am no child. _

"According to Maleficent," the new voice continued, "she may be one of the seven princesses of heart. And she is no Peter Pan."

I heard a lock turn and I looked up at the door. It opened slowly, but it was night out and I couldn't see who or what stood in the doorway. I swallowed hard and prepared for the worst.

His hair was long and thick, and blacker than any coal I had ever seen. His eyes were filled with adventure, as deep and as blue as the ocean itself. His eyebrows were also black, like his hair, and they were thick. His nose was large and curved down, like a hawk's beak; and he was tall, at least 6'5". He had stubble on his chin, and an English-style moustache. There were dark circles under his eyes, and anyone could see he rarely got a good amount of sleep. He wore a large red hat with a lavender feather; his coat a deep crimson; and knee breeches. But one of his features was unique to him, and it made him scarier than anything or anyone I had ever seen or dreamed of.

At the end of his left arm was a shiny silver hook rather than a hand.

"Good evening, miss," he said in an elegant English accent. He removed the hat from his head and bowed to me. "I am this ship's captain, James M. Hook." He offered me a grim smile, revealing straight and pearly white teeth. "You may call me Captain Hook."

I stood up, and I walked across the room to stand before him. He met me halfway, and we stood face to face before one another. He was a foot taller than me, at least.

"I hope you're happy," I said to him. "I've just been taken from my home, where my family is most likely frantic trying to find me. I'm no princess, and I highly doubt you, of all people would be able to catch one."

He grinned. "You did not even introduce yourself to me," he said, turning around to face the door. He looked at me from over his shoulder.

"My name is Penelope Adrienne Dole. You can call me Penelope." I watched him carefully.

He put his arms behind him, grasping his hook with his hand. "You are in my world now, Miss Penelope," he started, "and you are on my ship; thus, you shall follow _my _rules." He turned abruptly and leaned so his face was close to mine. "You shall do as I say, my dear, or I shall have you walk the plank. You will be what I like to call the cabin boy — though, in your special case, you shall be the cabin _girl_." He grinned. "You will clean up and assist Mr. Smee with the cooking and serving of meals. You will act as Mr. Smee does, as a sort of…assistant to me. And I will have him bring you some clean garments to wear. You will not interact with the other members of my crew unless I specify otherwise.

"Am I clear?"

I looked into his eyes, and I gave him a crooked grin. "As crystal," I answered.


	3. Red Sky

"You look wonderful, my dear. Those new clothes fit you very well."

I had been there for a week at least. I glared at him to get my anger through to him. The clothes were anything but me: there was a cream-colored blouse that cut across my chest and revealed a fair amount of cleavage, and the tan pants I had been given were sticking to my body like glue. The dark brown vest, shiny black knee-high boots, and red bandana were the only garments I actually liked.

He opened the door leading to the main deck. "Mr. Smee," he called, "report to me cabin in five minutes time." He closed the door and turned to me.

He circled around me slowly, and the sound of his shoes tapping the floor was slightly audible. He looked me up and down carefully, as to miss no detail, and I noticed his eyes stop at my breasts.

I slapped his cheek as hard as I possibly could, even though I wasn't all that strong. The blow caused him to take a half-step back. He raised his hand to his cheek, staring in disbelief; I saw his eyebrows slowly rise up on his head. When he took his hand away, I noticed his light olive skin was slightly pink from the impact of my hand.

Before I knew it he had me pinned against the wall. My heart was racing and I could hear it beating louder with each second. The anger in his eyes was practically screaming; his breathing was heavy. His dark eyebrows were furrowed and his face was slowly turning red. I recognized him as a man you would never wish to anger.

I was feeling a bit defiant just then.

"I would do it again too," I hissed.

He lifted his hook above his head as if to strike me. His teeth were clenched. But he paused, relaxing his clenched teeth and furrowed brow; he seemed to be reconsidering any violent act that he had been planning to do. His arm slowly began to fall down. I parted my lips to say something, and he abruptly turned away. He went up to the window that overlooked the ocean.

He seemed forlorn suddenly, and, even though he had abducted me, I felt a little bit bad for him. I came up behind him soundlessly and put my hand on his back.

"Leave me be," he said quietly, folding his hand across his hook.

"I'm sor—"

"Leave me be," he repeated.

The door opened and Smee came in. He found me trying to soothe Hook, and he cleared his throat to make his presence known to his captain.

"Take her away, Smee," Hook moaned.

Smee grabbed my wrist to take me away, and I let him lead me out. But I stared back at Hook, hoping I had not hurt him too much.

I looked at myself in the mirror on the wall, taking a deep breath. I was feeling good, but I was feeling guilty over how I had treated Hook.

_But it was his fault_, I told myself. _He was looking at my breasts. What kind of gentleman does that?_

I paused and realized my mistake.

_He didn't hit me when he had the chance to, even though I had hit him first._

I pushed a crate in front of the door, knowing it was unlocked. I wanted to be alone; I needed to think about what I had done.

"Penelope?"

I froze. "Go away," I called after a moment. "I'd rather talk to anyone but you."

"Please, let me in."

"Go away."

"We need to talk—"

"Can't you see I don't want to talk?"

I heard a faint thump and thought he was gone. I perched myself on the top of the crate and leaned against the door. I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

"Penelope, please."

"I thought you had gone."

"Open the door."

The pain in his voice was remarkable, so much that I think I had heard it crack. The feeling was so terrible. I pulled the crate away from the door and grasped the handle, seriously considering opening it. This was so confusing; did I want to suffer physical pain or deal with his pain-filled voice pleading with me? The thought made me weak, I lost control. I pressed against the door and fell to the ground, letting out a mangled sob. It was so terrifying. I wanted to go home; I wanted to see my mother, a thought that I felt would never cross my mind.

I continued to debate with myself as to let him in. It had been an entire day since I had hit him. I got to my feet and grabbed the handle.

_Do I trust him?_ I asked myself. _He did take me captive, and we got into a pretty bad argument._

"Penelope—"

I took a deep breath and pulled the door open, letting my emotions take over me…


End file.
